Tuesday, 11 May, 2021 - 05:00 Ripe Pinot Noir grapes hang on the vine at Colmant in Franschoek, South Africa, on Feb. 4, 2021. RODGER BOSCH/AFP/GETTY IMAGES Cairo - Asharq Al-Awsat A research team from the University of Panama found the oldest fossil of an 18-million-year-old vine tree. According to the researchers, who published their study in the journal PLOS ONE, the fossil provides evidence of a new species and is the oldest reliable example of a climbing woody vine known as a liana from the soapberry family. In the study, the researchers made thin slices of the fossil, examined the arrangements and dimensions of tissues and water-conducting vessels under a microscope, and created a database of all the features.